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Arthur H. Denholm
Personality Socially awkward, largely quiet unless engaged. Very observant. Arrogant, vain, snippy. Clever. Either very much focused on something or not at all when trying. When he is focused he is obsessive, retains information quickly, but can just as quickly forget once he shifts gears, therefore has a tendency to make notes for himself, and fears if he doesn't write something down, he may forget it. Well-organized. Perfectionist. Can be very terse, blunt, even rude and defensive, upon first meeting, but will gradually soften over time once you become familiar to him. Perceives himself to be honest. Has a hard time reading people, but once he knows someone can be surprisingly thoughtful, particularly if he's fond of them. Likes a tight schedule, is very punctual. Can become irritable and insecure once he's removed from this. Prone to anxiety which manifests as irritability. Detail-oriented, logical, at times coldly so. Doesn't expect anyone to understand him. Manipulative, can be deceitful despite normally being honest, if it means getting his way. Background Born abroad to military analyst parents, Denholm was second born roughly a year after his sister, Elia. Homeschooled for much of his young life, what Denholm lacked in scholastic experience, he made up for in personal ones as his family traveled the globe, only settling back in England when he and his sister were in high school. Previously, at the age of 7, however, he was caught in the blast of an embassy bombing in Iraq which resulted in a piece of shrapnel lodging itself into his head, forever changing his personality and how he interacted with people. At one time a happy-go-lucky and adventurous child, Denholm became withdrawn, shy, irritable, and seemingly depressed as a result of the brain damage afflicting his ability to speak and understand English. It would be another five years before he was finally confident enough to hold regular conversations with those around him. Luckily, this did not affect his intelligence, which remained on a steady incline and he maintained an interest in the medical field and by association, the macabre. After graduating high school, Denholm applied to several universities in England, but was unable to get into the one he most wanted instead having to settle for his "second best". This greatly disgruntled him, and despite him excelling in all classes, Denholm never even completed his Bachelor's, instead dropping out only a few months before graduation. During this time his behavior had become erratic as a result of stress and late nights spent in the campus' lab performing experiments, for which he was repeatedly reprimanded. Eventually he turned more and more to prescribed drugs to ease his suffering. Tension from home and with a girlfriend of three years and one who eventually left him, only worsened his depression. His sister, Elia, had recently confessed to him that she was transgendered, and while Denholm took it in stride and right away did his best to understand, his parents did not. Despite Elia's prestigious government position and happy marriage, this was not enough to please their mother and father who attempted to disown her, instead focusing all of their attention on Denholm. Throughout his life, Denholm had repeatedly been told he would go on to do great things like his father, and his father before him, descending from a long line of successful academics. He became a perfectionist to the extreme, but could never seem to live up to his own standards despite his outward confidence. With his parents still reeling from the revelation with their former-daughter-now-son, they were perhaps even more put out to learn that Denholm hadn't graduated from university and was living off the money they were sending him without having mentioned this previously. It wasn't until his best friend, Peter, managed to get him some outside help with his depression and drug problem, that Denholm finally began to turn his life around, and his parents were starting to show a rebounding interest in Elia (now Eliot) as he had agreed to bear a child for his husband before fully transitioning. Elizabeth changed everything about their family after she was born, and Denholm's parents made more of an effort to understand their new son in order to maintain happy and healthy access to their only granddaughter. Meanwhile, Denholm was struggling to make ends meet, but didn't want to beg for more money from his parents. He cleverly and convincingly forged his degree in forensic science to gain a rather impressive position at New Scotland Yard in London as a forensic pathologist, and one of the acting medical examiners. Always going above and beyond, he worked for them for three years and was on the verge of becoming chief medical examiner, when he came upon the curious murder case of one Professor Bertrum Alscher. He and a few other men had been discovered seemingly mauled to death in an abandoned bunker south of the city. All evidence pointed to a small woman being at the scene of the crime, but when located and questioned, the police seemed to have no reason to keep her - her alibi was solid. Denholm, however, was skeptical but the decision was out of his hands. At least until most of the evidence for the case went missing from the lab, and he was reprimanded for being careless. Denholm's nature demanded that the take this personally, especially since it hurt his chances of being promoted. Even after his brother had made a point of warning him away from the case, he made the mistake of taking matters into his own hands, even approaching the woman under the guise of an investigator. With a new string of unrelated murders coming in, he'd nearly relented when he received a text message inviting him to an isolated location for "the truth". Never a fool, Denholm collected his best friend, Peter, and set off for an abandoned hospital north of London. Despite the prepared room, there appeared to be no one present until a shadow suddenly pounced from the hall behind them. Peter, with his military training, was able to react quickly, drawing his gun and firing at the strange creature, hitting it in the chest and causing it to instantly retreat, but not before severely injuring Denholm. He was rushed to the hospital and remained in a coma for a month before he suddenly one day, opened his eyes and found he was not alone. The room was empty, and yet, he felt a distinct presence lurking nearby, as if just out of the periphery of his vision. This presence would haunt him to present day and on occasion would enter him, take control of his body, and at least once a month transform him into an unpredictable and aggressive beast. The first month out of the hospital was Hell for Denholm. His life came crashing down around him, unable to tell reality from fantasy, waking life from nightmare. Despite his insistence he return to work, right away he was making serious mistakes and acting strangely enough that his cohorts, acting more concerned than outraged, asked him to resign. This was the final straw for Denholm and he spiraled quickly into depression and just as he was ready to kill himself, Autumn Isen appeared offering help and confessing that she was the one responsible for his present state of despair. She was completely honest with him about everything - that she'd come to England to save a friend from an old enemy. She'd been sloppy in taking care of it, however, and was preparing to leave when he approached her and she began to have second thoughts. After being denied help from an ally, she decided to take matters into her own hands and tie up this loose end, but she'd mistimed the jump and hadn't anticipated another person being there when she'd made her attack. With a bullet in her chest, she retreated, sparing Denholm his life, but not a significant bite wound to the back of the neck. Autumn even returned to ensure his death at the hospital, intending on injecting a dose of insulin into his IV bag, but was stopped when she recognized one of the people visiting him as a member of the Silver Circle. Quickly learning that his person was his brother, her instincts told her to back off, and in doing so, she did some more research, discovering that Eliot Peregrine Denholm was not only a director for MI5, he also held significant power in the Silver Circle organization, whom she learned had interfered with the investigation into the death of Prof. Alscher, former Cinocephali Elder and enemy of the Versipellis Clan and Autumn. Owing a debt of gratitude, and worried what the SC might do to her - or even the man she'd tried to murder - if they found out she was responsible for Denholm's near-death and possible subsequent lycanthropy, she arranged a meeting with Eliot and revealed her role in everything, offering to mentor Denholm and cater to his needs as a new werewolf. Almost immediately Autumn suspected she had made a mistake, when his brother was overjoyed with this revelation and the fact that she was willing to take him on as a protege of sorts. All of this explained why she had now come to him. But even after presenting her story to him, Denholm was indignant, refusing to believe such a wild tale until Autumn asked him if he had any other options at the moment other than suicide. Reluctantly, Denholm agreed to her plan to take him somewhere safe for his first transformation (the first month, having already been so close to the full moon, his body was too weak to change). It was very nearly a disaster as his best friend and wife, who had been keeping tabs on him, were worried when they couldn't locate him and used his phone's GPS to track him to an isolated location in the countryside. Accidentally freeing him, Denholm's wolf, panicking from pain and Hunger, tried to attack them but was stopped by Autumn who distracted him long enough for his friends to flee. This was the start of a very strained relationship between he and Autumn, as he blames her for everything that has gone sour in his life related to his lycanthropy. And together they spent the next four months preparing him for his arrival in Chambury where he could receive the support and counseling he required to maintain his lycanthropy and begin rebuilding his life. Denholm now resides in an apartment building in the art district beneath Sofia Alexia Melis. Random Facts *Suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and has many little "rituals" he performs at different times of the day to steady or focus himself, most of these are based around the obsession with failure in life/career. Example: Turning his tea cup or mug three times every three minutes. *Tying in with his OCD tendencies, Denholm is a almost obsessively clean with a compulsive sense of order and repetition in patterns and organization. Thanks to therapy, he is less bad about this than previous, but can backslide when stressed or not distracted enough. If he cannot satisfy his obsessive compulsion, he becomes irritable, restless, and attention-seeking. *Has a fixation on the number 3, and can often be seen organizing or doing things in counts of 3. Again, thanks to therapy, this fixation is less prominent than in his younger years. *Was able to obtain his Bachelors of Chemistry after dropping out of university, as he had accumulated all the necessary credits in order to qualify. *Is quite possibly Asperger's, or HFA, but is undiagnosed. *Denholm adores his niece, Elizabeth Wren, and keeps a picture of her in his wallet though he detests when people make a big deal of this. *Hates being called "Denny/Den" or "Arty/Art" if using his first name. Those closest to him call him by his first name, but he prefers a certain amount of distance with new people and so introduces himself by his last name. *The 'H' in his name, Arthur H. Denholm, stands for 'Horatio'. *Is extremely nearsighted and squints a lot in wereform. Needs an updated prescription for his glasses. Has, instead, begun to rely more and more on his now-significantly-improved sense of smell, which was already pretty good before his conversion to lycanthropy. *Is a very picky eater and orders a lot of his food from online. Is a pretty good chef. *Is not a virgin despite most people's assumptions. *Perfectionist to the point of obsession about certain things. *Very much into medical science and dead things. Keeps abreast of the latest news and will tell you all about it. *Absolutely HATES it when people make fun of his accent. "I don't have an accent! YOU have an accent!" *Looks and sounds very much like Benedict Cumberbatch. He doesn't see the resemblance. *Is a music lover - prefers classical and oldies from the 70s and 80s, and has ample knowledge of them. Also enjoys a lot of indie music such as Geographer, Beach House, and Grizzly Bear. *Plays the piano and is rather good at it. Can read music, but is also good at improvising and composing and will write music in his spare time. He's self-conscious about it and doesn't usually share it with others because he's often been told it's too repetitive (these people usually being from a classical background, including his teacher). In truth, while his style is somewhat repetitive, most people find it to be quite enjoyable. *Keeps notes and journals on his phone and laptop, but occasionally makes backups of everything including hard copies, which he keeps in a filing cabinet in his living room. *Denholm's wolf is able to access his brain and see through his eyes and memories, but Denholm's recollection of his wolf's experiences and thoughts are filtered through a dream-like lens if he's privy to them at all. His wolf is still a fledgling personality and can Eclipse Denholm easily whenever it feels it's necessary and often will assume his human body without transforming. Eclipsing is obvious in Denholm as his entire expression and demeanor shifts dramatically, and his eyes take on the aspect of his wolf - becoming incredibly pale with an enlarged iris. *His wolf cannot speak and has a hard time understanding English though eventually it will come to learn its name (given to him by Autumn) and some simple words and phrases. It will never be able to speak well or clearly, however. It therefore comes across as shy and curious, but is extremely unpredictable and has been known to hurt people seemingly for the sake of satisfying curiosity. *Takes drugs, namely opiates and sedatives, to keep his wolf under control - paranoid that it will take over his body when he's not expecting it. Also sometimes experiments with other drugs to simply see how it will affect him now that he is a werewolf. Regardless, claims it's all for science. *Has an older brother, Elliott "Ellie" Peregrine Denholm, who has the power to control entropy. Denholm himself doesn't actually learn about this until later on, after becoming a werewolf, Ellie claiming that he thought he already knew. Naturally, Denholm noticed that Ellie was very gifted in fixing and healing things as a child, but his power only grew and became more complicated, and thus more serious, as they aged. Part of why they moved around so much as children was due to their parents bringing Ellie to be tested as part of a special international program for gifted children. This program was a front for the Silver Circle to screen and monitor potential threats in the human population. As a result, there were long stretches of time where Denholm's family did not have contact with Ellie. He still refuses to talk about the sorts of tests he endured. *Elliott used to be "Elia". He fully transitioned five years before the events in SnB, and has been living full-time as a man for ten. Abilities Source: Magecraft Human: First Aid Rank 3 Willful Rank 3 Martial Arts Rank 1 Were: At-Will Shifting Rank 1 Regeneration Rank 1 Redirection Rank 1 Through Scent Alone Rank 1 Mystic: Resistance* Clan Abilities: Inner Peace Rank 1 Pack/Order Abilities (if applicable): Elder Abilities (if applicable): *Due to Denholm's latent Fae heritage becoming activated by his contracted lycanthropy, (his brother, Elliott, has a manifested gift himself despite not being a werewolf.) Denholm's Resistance is innate and shields him from any spell cast directly on him. This includes offensive attack spells as well as curses. However, a powerful spell could pierce through this Resistance, and Denholm can still suffer the effects of spells cast on objects or other people around him. For example, he may not be able to take damage from a fire spell cast directly on him, but could still be injured by any nearby fires started by the spell itself. He also cannot benefit from healing magic. Denholm can endure magic if the source is powerful enough, but it may be less effective than if it were cast on someone with normal or less resistance. Ellie's ability is the power to control entropy, which is fairly powerful in and of itself. He could use it on Denholm but it would be far less effective than using it on others. Descriptions For Alternate Forms Form: Eye color: Height: Build: Fur/scale color/pattern: Abilities: Sample Character Use You may use Denholm for your challenges but please contact me with your idea first. Please refrain from killing, maiming, or putting him in sexual situations without my consent. Rumours * Late into his drug habit, it's fairly clear among the community that he's an addict and has earned the reputation for being particularly voracious since he uses much of it for self-experimentation. (Of course, no one really believes he's doing it for science no matter how much they may humor him.) * His wolf personality, Spectre, is perceived as being a creeper and threatening in his unpredictability. * Once became so enraged at a restaurant manager for screwing up his order, he decked the man, giving him a severe concussion, but fled the scene before charges could be pressed against him. It's likely he only got away successfully due to a reflexive use of his Redirection and the fact that it was late at night. This has earned him a reputation for having a short temper. This, coupled with the aforementioned rumor of him being a junkie, lends to the belief that he's troubled and unstable and to generally be avoided. * In university, he spent so much time in the morgue, talking to the corpses as he worked, people began to think he was doing obscene things with them. * There's an annoyingly persistent rumor that he and Autumn are an item since they're seen together so often. Those who know them personally, however, are quick to discourage this idea. * Considering the above rumor and the alleged closeness between he and Autumn, it's believed that Hayden is particularly unfriendly towards Denholm because of this and is being closely watched by those who work for him. Character Relationships Autumn Isen - His creator and beneficiary, Denholm's feelings towards Autumn are complicated and ever-evolving. Initially terrified of her, he blames her for everything awful associated with his new condition, and relishes the fact that she's so eager to help him. At the same time, this arrangement leads him to an affinity he didn't count on developing, because despite his best efforts, he actually grows to like her. Not everyone has made such an earnest attempt at befriending him, let alone tolerating him in order to help him through a difficult time. Especially if they were the cause of it. Sacha Rene - Denholm's roommate. The two have a lot in common, but where Denholm wallows more reservedly in spiteful denial, losing himself in drug use and science experiments, Sacha is much more volatile, making his unhappiness known to everyone, much to the chagrin of Denholm. The two seem constantly at war with each other around the apartment with Denholm struggling to assert his dominance and repeatedly being ruffled by Sacha's undermining. They regularly play practical jokes on one another both for entertainment and to make their dislike known. It is through this that the pair are likely to bond, even if it's unintentional. Sofia Alexia Melis - Denholm's upstairs neighbor. In part due to Alex's no-nonsense attitude, the two share an appreciation for science, logic, and manipulation, and get along better than most. While initially dismissive of her, Denholm quickly comes to respect her for her intelligence and will eventually see her as an equal. It's their similar interests that are sure to bring them together in the future. Tvar Dorogoy- Tvar is a nice and friendly boy, his wide-eyed innocence being somewhat repulsive to the cynical Denholm. He is very much interested in Tvar's past experiences and will eventually want to grill him on them. Largely indifferent to Tvar's sensitivity, Denholm sees him as overly sentimental and ripe for manipulation, probably worth little more than whatever information he can give Denholm regarding the purpose of his existence and what methods were used in his creation. While he concedes what happened to Tvar as unforgivable, he also understands the motive behind the Silver Circle's curiosity. Allen Korick - Having mistaken Allen for a spy sent by Autumn in a fit of drug-induced paranoia, Denholm ends up recruiting Allen as a main provider of his tools to help mitigate the effects of his lycanthropy. As a result, the two become somewhat awkward friends that manifests as a business-like relationship on the surface, but as time goes on, will likely become closer in their own removed way. Elliott Peregrine Denholm - Denholm's older brother by about a year and a half. Despite their differences and the fact that they appear to bicker constantly, Elliott and Denholm are very close. Ellie is the only person who may call him "Arty", and Denholm was the first person he came out to as transgender back when he was in university. They enjoy teasing one another, sniping back and forth with their dry wit until one of them simply fails to have a response ready. Typically it's Denholm who ends up floundering. Ellie is the polar opposite of his little brother in most ways; he's charismatic, compassionate, wise, extremely clever, and good-looking. Denholm is often jealous of him, not that he would ever admit it. About the only thing they do share, personality-wise, is that they can both be very cold, very stubborn, in their logic. RP Logs